Closer Watch - A closer look at intriguing ninth-inning situations (check out Dave Regan's Closer Grid with the link to the left)

Boston – Papelbon pitched 1.1 scoreless innings Monday to earn the save in Boston's win over the Yankees, an outing that included strikeout sof Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira. He's now allowed just one earned run since June 24 and seems to be over his early-season struggles.

Key Matchups - Spotlight on hitters and pitchers with favorable matchups against their opponent on a particular day (generally, individual matchups with fewer than 10 at-bats are not included) *Check status

Daisuke Matsuzaka v. Blue Jays: Matsuzaka has allowed more than two earned runs just once in his last five times out. He should continue his success against Toronto, whose current crop of hitters has a .185/.220/.356 line against Dice-K. No Blue Jay with at least 10 plate appearances against Matsuzaka is hitting better than .250.

A.J. Burnett v. Rangers: Current Rangers have managed a meager .197/.276/.339 line off Burnett in a large sample size of 203 plate appearances. Burnett will be working on extra rest after having his scheduled start pushed back due to back stiffness, but if he's healthy, the numbers indicate he'll stymie the Rangers.

Scott Baker v. White Sox: Since a six-run stomping by the Indians in mid-July, Baker has been strong, allowing five earned runs in his last 20.1 innings. Current White Sox hitters have a .204/.246/.324 composite line against him.

Tim Lincecum v. Cubs: Cubs hitters have a .233/.275/.311 line against him, and one of the few guys who has found success, Derrek Lee, may not play. Oh, and Lincecum is pretty good too.

Ricky Romero v. Red Sox: Romero has been outstanding since the All-Star break, but Boston shelled him for five earned runs in just 2.1 innings the last time they met. Plus, Boston hitters are hitting .413 against him in 96 plate appearances. It's worth noting, however, that Kevin Youkilis is responsible for some of that damage (4-for-10, 2 HR), so Romero will catch a break by not having to worry about him.

Recommended Pickup

Chris Carter, OF, OAK – The A's officially recalled Carter on Monday, and he'll likely spend most of his time in the outfield despite being listed as a first baseman. He also probably won't play everyday (manager Bob Geren said he'd take it day-by-day), but if he gets hot, like he has been at Triple-A, Oakland will make sure he's in the lineup. Carter was hitting .371 with three homers, 13 RBI and nine walks in his last 10 games at Sacramento, so he's worth targeting in AL-only and deeper mixed leagues. However, keep in mind that he has tended to struggle after each one of his promotions through the minors and is no guarantee to play everyday, so don't go too crazy.